Ph.D.
,
Marine Ecology and Ichthyology

William Alevizon. (Ph.D., Marine Ecology and Ichthyology , University of California at Santa Barbara, 1973).
Research Associate in Coral Conservation, Osborn Laboratories of Marine Sciences, New York Aquarium/Wildlife Conservation Society.
Dr. William Alevizon is a marine biologist specializing in the ecology and behavior of Florida/Caribbean coral reef fishes and marine conservation.He has conducted extensive scientific investigations in these areas since 1973, and has authored or co-authored two popular books and numerous scientific papers and technical reports on these subjects.
From 1975-1990 Dr. Alevizon served as a Professor of Marine Biology at the Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne), and from 1994-1998 as a Visiting Professor and Research Associate in Geography at the University of California at Berkeley, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses on the oceans and marine conservation.Dr. Alevizon has served as principal marine ecologist (consultant) in marine protected area planning and management for a number of Caribbean nations, including the Bahamas, Antigua, B.W.I., the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and Nicaragua.He has also served on marine resource management advisory panels for the U.S. National Research Council, the U.S. National Marine Sanctuary Program (NOAA), and the Florida and California Sea Grant programs.Dr. Alevizon is a NAUI Dive Instructor, and in 1994 received NAUI's Outstanding Service Award for his role in developing three new NAUI marine conservation/ecology certification programs.He currently serves as Scientific Advisor for The Marine Safety Group, Inc. (Deerfield Beach), a south Florida non-profit environmental organization.

Dr. William Alevizon, former Professor of Marine Biology at the Florida Institute of Technology, said that the suggestion that new research might enlighten the issue in the short term was ludicrous."This is a complex scientific issue, involving numerous species and habitats, each with unique sets of ecological interactions.There is simply no magic research bullet that could, in a year or two, substantially change the current state of knowledge regarding the environmental effects of fish feeding in Florida" Alevizon stated.

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Dr. Bill Alevizon, a marine biologist who has studied the behavior and ecology of Florida fishes for over 25 years stated, "Florida's coastal waters are naturally home to large numbers of sharks, most of which go about their business without taking particular notice of people.

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"While there is no evidence linking this particular attack to shark feeding, the tragic results highlight just how dangerous these wild animals can really be", said Dr. William Alevizon, a marine biologist and expert on fish life of Florida and the Caribbean."Its bad enough that Florida's coasts are home to large numbers of dangerous sharks, but to deliberately go out and teach these animals to associate humans with food and then turn them loose on an unsuspecting public is just plain stupid" Alevizon added.

Most shark attacks on humans are believed to be mistakes, but according to Alevizon, who serves as scientific advisor for the Marine Safety Group, the likelihood of just such a tragic mistake increases dramatically once sharks are trained to make the connection between an outstretched human arm and a free meal."This type of food conditioning has led to numerous documented injuries from marine predators like barracudas, morays, and sharks that have bitten hands, arms and even faces of divers who were not even participating in a feeding dive but nonetheless unknowingly made the wrong move at the wrong time, in the fish's mind signaling that dinner was served", he said.

Bill Alevizon, Ph.D. has been a NAUI certified diver and University of California Research Diver since 1969, and a NAUI Instructor since 1992.He served as NAUI 's Environmental Liaison from 1993-1998, and was awarded NAUI's Outstanding Service Award in 1994 for his work on developing NAUI's Coral Reef Ecology, Kelp Forest Ecology, and Underwater Ecologist Specialty Certification programs, and the NAUI Conservation Diver Recognition Program.Bill is a professional marine ecologist specializing in the ecology of Caribbean coral reefs and reef fishes.He is a former Professor of Marine Biology (Florida Institute of Technology) and visiting Professor (University of California at Berkeley), and has authored or co-authored numerous scientific papers and technical reports on these subjects.He has also served on advisory panels for the U.S. National Research Council (National Academy of Sciences), the U.S. National Marine Sanctuary Program (NOAA), and the Florida Sea Grant program.

William Alevizon is a senior marine ecologist with the marine conservation program of the Wildlife Conservation Society, a US-based NGO.A specialist in population and community ecology of reef fishes, Alevizon has conducted research on Caribbean and Florida reef habitats and fisheries over the past three decades.He recently served as member of a US working group to develop guidelines for watching marine wildlife, consisting of representatives from several federal agencies, NGOs, and other institutions.